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And for young male veterans ages 18 through 24, the jobless rate is 29.1 percent — much higher than the rate of 17.6 percent for nonvets in the same age group. Nearly 22 percent of female veterans — an estimated 50,000 — who served in Iraq and Afghanistan were unemployed in December 2011, according to statistics.
It’s numbers like these that show the difficulty many vets are having, says Stephen Norred of Vets4Heroes, a group that helps veterans find work in the private sector.
"We need more help, and vets need to be moved to the front of the line when it comes to getting jobs," Norred, a retired naval officer explained. "These people have served their county with three, some times four or more tours of duty in Iraq and Afghanistan."
There is some help in the works. In November 2011, President Barack Obama signed into law the VOW to Hire Heroes Act, which among other things, offers businesses tax credits for hiring unemployed vets and those with disabilities.
The law also provides online tools to aid in job searches, and the administration has partnered with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the private sector to make it easier to connect veterans with companies that want to hire them.
Even with a top down effort, however, the transition from serving in the U.S. Armed Forces to working in the private sector can be difficult.
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